IN A recent meeting of the environmental sub-committee of Kendal Town Council, an important and detailed report was presented on the introduction of a 20 miles-per-hour speed limit in part, or all, of Kendal, writes Cllr Giles Archibald, leader of South Lakeland District Council.

While the committee was generally in favour of moving forward with the recommendations, there is still much discussion to be had with the public before this becomes a reality in town.

One thing that I can assure local residents is that there will be no new speed bumps if the scheme goes ahead!

The rationale for a 20mph speed limit is that it significantly reduces the number and severity of car accidents. The experiences of places like Bristol, Portsmouth and Edinburgh bears this out.

A pedestrian struck by a car at 30mph is much more likely to die than if the car were travelling at 20mph.

Slowing down the traffic on some of the roads will not only visibly reduce the danger of those roads, perhaps encouraging more cycling, it will also reduce the noise pollution.

But will it also have the effect of reducing air pollution? Here the academic evidence is not quite so overwhelming. It is unlikely that the carbon dioxide emissions from a journey will reduce materially. However, there is evidence of slightly more walking and cycling as a result of a safer environment.

Edinburgh, for example, reports a three per cent reduction in car journeys and more walking and cycling. Driving appears to be smoother, with fewer gear changes made by motorists and fewer examples of fast acceleration. Brake and tyre wear, a source of pollution, is reduced because there is less wear on brakes and tyres at lower speeds.

On balance it looks like a change to a lower speed limit would have a positive effect on air quality.

So, the safety element is clearly the main driver for the 20mph initiative for Kendal - but if it also has a twin benefit of improving the air quality in our town, then that is another reason to seriously consider its introduction.